Alaska Emergency Management and Homeland Security Statutory Authorities Summarized

Publication Date: March 2004

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

Type:

Coverage: Alaska

Abstract:

Alaska’s emergency management statute clarifies and strengthens the roles of the governor, state agencies, and local governments in prevention and preparation for response and recovery from a disaster. The statute also addresses the prevention of disasters caused or aggravated by inadequate planning for, and regulation of, public and private facilities and land use. State and local emergency management plans are tied to environmental plans to create a coordinated response to disasters. Other provisions reside in the civil defense statute which expands gubernatorial and emergency powers and mutual aid agreements to respond to an enemy attack.

This report is one of a series that profiles the emergency management and homeland security statutory authorities of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and three territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Each profile identifies the more significant elements of state statutes, generally as codified. Congressional readers may wish to conduct further searches for related provisions using the Internet link presented in the last section of this report. The National Conference of State Legislatures provided primary research assistance in the development of these profiles under contract to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Summary information on all of the profiles is presented in CRS Report RL32287. This report will be updated as developments warrant.